The Path to Forgiveness
by Lucius Ferus
Summary: The path to forgiveness is a difficult one but what happens when the one your trying to forgive is yourself? Lucius has the blood of a city on his hands can the Furious Five help him to see the light? TigressXOC
1. Lu

**Hello ) I usually refrain from writing fanfics but ever since I saw the movie this idea has been burning in my head and I finally decided to give it a go.**

**And for the record yes I used my user id as a character Lucius is my rp character and has a history**

**HOWEVER Lucius is MY character and with a little luck will bring me lots of money someday (no joke) if you wish to use him as a character in one of your fics you must consult me first!!**

**that being said lets get started... oh yeah I i dont own kung fu panda nor any of the affiliated characters**

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"Oh come on you pathetic panda" Tigress cried in frustration as she stood a small ways up the path.

"Dang it just lemme rest for a while" replied Po as he struggled to maintain the pace that the feline master set. They had been traveling since early that morning and the hike had taken its toll on the overweight dragon warrior.

It had been three months since Po had defeated Tai lung and aside from some slight improvements in his kung fu Po hadn't changed much.

"If we don't hurry then the enemy will have gotten away" said Tigress as if she was talking to a three year old. "He probably already knows we're coming thanks to your clumsiness".

"Hey its not my fault if …" "If you fell on a pile of loose rocks and caused a landslide that took nearly half the mountain" the feline smugly asked.

Po sighed in resignation "ok I'm sorry but I don't think that there's anything to worry about, we don't even know that there is an enemy. I mean the report just said that there was a campfire in the cave at the top of the mountain and it scared a few villagers".

"The report said" tigress replied in annoyance "that there was a suspicious fire and that an armed figure was seen walking through the forest the following day. This figure could be the cause of the strange disappearances last week".

"Ya mean the family that disappeared without a trace?" inquired the large panda.

"Yes that family, as if there were two whole families that disappeared in the same…"

"but they just went fishing"

Tigress blinked "no, they disappeared"

"no, they went fishing" Po said " they came back this morning and said the urge to go on a family fishing trip just took them and they left without a word"

Tigress blinked again. "fishing?"

"Fishing" Po confirmed.

There was an awkward moment as tigress took in this information and then "well that doesn't mean that the enemy isn't dangerous"

Po sighed as Tigress called back to him to hurry his fat but up.

In truth Tigress was just as tired as Po was. They had indeed taken an early start and she was still bone-tired from her late-night training session the day before. However, there was no way in heaven or earth she would ever admit THAT to her monochromatic companion.

* * *

Cool blue eyes shone in the morning light as a grey wolf watched the progress of the large panda and much smaller tigress as they made their way up the mountain 'this ought to be interesting' he thought as he quietly followed the pair keeping to the ridgeline above them.

* * *

Po spent the rest of the trip pondering why tigress always had to be so pessimistic. None of the other masters were so suspicious all the time and they had been through just as much as she had. Po continued to follow tigress as he pondered the terrifying mind of the female cat.

Tigress quietly motioned Po to stay down. They had finally reached the ridge they were looking for and the mouth of the cave was just in sight. " i'll go first you wait thirty seconds then follow, got it?" asked Tigress.

"got it" came the reply of a very serious panda.

Without another word Tigress stalked to the mouth of the cave and slipped inside.

Po patiently began to count, however just as he neared ten a rather startled tigress flew out of the cave and slammed into a tree.

"WOAH" came the response from a terrified Po as the attacker revealed himself.

An unnaturally large and grizzled old wolf stepped into the light and took a fighting stance facing the two kung fu masters.

He had heavy armor that was stained crimson and wore a VERY large sword on his back. However that was not what caused Po to gulp in fear For it was at that moment that he noticed the skulls. Dozens of skulls were worn as a necklace around the giant wolf's neck and most of then were too small to belong to anyone but children.

"uhhhh… who the hell are you?" asked tigress as she recovered from her impact with the tree.

"who am I" replied the muscular wolf " I am the master of Nether, I am the wielder of hellfire, the slayer of hundreds, I AM LUCIUS THE…" It was at this moment that a younger and slimmer wolf flipped over the killer's head and planted a kick square between his eyes causing him to lose his balance and fall over backwards.

Landing nimbly beside tigress the younger wolf stood with his arms crossed and simply stated "poser".

Tigress took the opportunity to look over the new wolf. He was nearly a full head taller than her and well built wearing what appeared to be assassins' pants and a pain long sleeved warriors shirt with a single piece of leather armor over his left shoulder that looked like it was more there for show than protection. His fur was a light grey and his blue eyes shone in the morning sun .

"are you ok?" he asked her.

"I'm fine" replied tigress "but who are you?"

The young wolf stared at her for a moment before simply stating "Lu"

She took slight notice of the long katana he wore over his back seeming so natural with him that for a moment tigress wondered if he was born with it.

However she was interrupted from her musings when the larger wolf stood and drew his enormous blade. "hahaha… you must be a fool to try to beat me that easily. Have you not heard of me?! I am the slayer Lucius!!"

Lu's eyes narrowed and he said in a cool and calm voice "your not Lucius". he took a step towards the larger wolf and continued " your nothing but a sick sadistic bastard who kills children for fun"

"ENOUGH" shouted the larger wolf as he took a swing at Lu.

Tigress still hadn't moved from her spot by the tree. 'why can't I move' she thought ' I need to help him'.

However, it soon became apparent that Lu needed no help as he nimbly dodged the enormous blade and began a series of solid punches to the old wolf.

'how can he move so fast" wondered tigress 'he has got to be faster than viper'. she turned to look for Po and found him… eating popcorn??

Po it appeared was thoroughly enjoying the show and even cheered for Lu from time to time.

'why does he have to be so foolish' she wondered as her attention returned to the battle at hand.

The old wolf was swinging wildly trying desperately to kill the younger and more agile wolf. however it was becoming clearer by the second that he would not win.

The young wolf ,Lu as he called himself, was simply too fast and his numerous attacks took their toll on the old wolf.

"damned you" the old wolf snarled as he fell to one knee

"What's the matter" asked Lu "you finally realizing that its over?"

"YOU WILL DIE!!" shouted the old wolf as he lunged on top of Lu.

Tigress gasped as the smaller wolf was crushed under the enormous frame of the old wolf's body.

For a moment everything was frozen and then a dull thud was heard and the old wolf flew into the air.

Tigress was stunned as she saw the young wolf recover from the seemingly impossible kick he had just delivered.

"woah! That was awesome!" cried Po from his seat by the cave entrance

However, Lu took no note of Po's praise as he leaped into the air and slammed his leg into the old wolf's side crushing the ribs underneath. The now defeated wolf fell heavily on the ground as Lu landed nimbly next to him.

"amazing" whispered Tigress.

Lu shot a glance at her and then turned back to the fallen warmonger.

'wait' thought Tigress 'his eyes' she then realized that his once blue eyes were now fiery red.

Tigress stood and looked around for Po who was… popping more popcorn??

Lu looked down at the old murderer and calmly stated "time to start talking".

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**there you have it! I know that theres not much back story but all will soon be revealed. cookies if you can guess who Lu really is. cmon its impossibly obvious. review please!!**


	2. whose afraid of the redeyed wolf

**Hello again this chatper is a bit shorter but im still workin' out the kinks in the plot please be patient.**

**I would also like to thank meggie6 for being the ONLY person to review, this chapter would not exist if you had not donated your time for some good healthy feedback so thank you**

Moaning in pain the old wolf looked up at Lu and a look of horror struck his face "you…no…GET AWAY FROM ME!!"

"huh??" came the confused reply from Tigress as the old wolf struggled to crawl away.

"those eyes…that's how you knew I wasn't Lucius!!". by this time the old wolf was by the ledge of the cliff. "No one else could hit that hard without breaking their leg!" He seemed to forget that his entire side was caved in and stood facing Lu and said "I've had my fair share of killings but I pale in comparison to what you did!"

Lu simply stood with a grim face and said nothing

"I'll die by my own hand before suffering your slaughter!" the old wolf spat and with that he leaped off the cliff.

Po turned purple and vomited into his popcorn bag (sorry meggie).

Even Tigress winced as she heard a dull thud. She looked at Lu and wondered what he could have done that would terrify a serial killer into killing himself.

However Lu simply turned and began to walk away.

An idea popped into Tigress' head and she ran to stand in front of Lu and bowed

"please come with us to the jade palace".

"WHAT" Po sputtered 'what is she thinking!' he thought.

"shut up Po" she said "he just saved our lives. I think that master shifu will want to thank him personally".

"sorry but I've got to report in" replied Lu.

"what?" came the responses from both masters as Po did away with the popcorn/vomit bag and pulled out some nachos. Apparently he had fully recovered from putting the popcorn back in the bag.

"I've got to report to my client" Lu said. He was met with blank faces and sighed "I'm a bounty hunter".

"WOW A REAL BOUNTY HUNTER LIKE IN THE STORIES?!" asked Po spilling his nachos in excitement.

"Wait what is that?" asked Tigress. Having lived her entire life in a temple dedicated to kung fu she had never heard of a bounty hunter.

"a bounty hunter is a person who hunts down people and brings them to justice in exchange for payment" Po stated knowledgeably.

"that about sums it up" replied Lu "well ill be seeing you" and he began to walk away.

Tigress' mind raced trying to find a way to get him to the jade palace. 'if I don't detain him he could be a danger to the valley' she thought.

It was about this time that Po finally realized what Tigress was trying to do and said "hey I think I've got a job for ya".

Lu stopped in his tracks and slowly turned to face Po "what kind of job" he inquired.

Po smiled as he said "kill Tai Lung"

As soon as he spoke these words Tigress' jaw dropped "what are you thinking!?"

"ok" Lu chimed in.

Tigress looked at him as if he had just sprouted a third arm "do you even know who Tai Lung is?" she asked.

"he's the guy who tried to steal the dragon scroll right" Lu asked.

"Not only that but he almost destroyed the entire valley" she said.

A look of sorrow streaked across Lu's face however he quickly masked it "the keyword there is 'almost', and besides if thickness here" he said pointing at Po "could beat him I certainly can"

"hey!" Po said "I resent that remark"

Tigress was trying to hold in a giggle.

"Sorry bud but it's true" came Lu's reply.

"wait" Po said "how did you know that I defeated Tai Lung?"

"I have my ways" he said mysteriously .

Both masters glared at Lu suspiciously and he just stared right back.

Several moments passed then ,Much to the surprise of Po and Tigress, Lu began laughing.

"What exactly is so funny" Tigress asked.

"There are notices in all the towns for miles around explaining who Po is and what he did" Lu said.

"oh" Po said "I guess that makes sense"

"yup" replied Lu.

"come with us to the jade palace and our master will tell you all you need to know"

"what's my payment" Lu asked.

Po went cross-eyed, apparently he had not thought that far ahead "um… noodles?"

"no dice"

"cookies?"

"nope"

"crap"

"indeed"

"you're a hard bargainer"

"damned straight"

"…"

"…"

"…"

Lu sighed and said "let me stay at the jade palace for a while"

"WHAT" Po explained

"do you want my help or not" Lu responded

"well yeah but why stay at the jade palace" asked Po.

"because I'm a fool of a wolf whose too kind for his own good"

"wha??"

Tigress was finally fed up with Po's idiocy and hit him in the face causing him to tumble down the path until he collided with a certain Crane.

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**wow Po just can't seem to hold on to his food can he? oh and if you still havent figured out who Lu is you need to be hit over the head with a hammer. PLEASE REVIEW!!**

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	3. suprise

**Is it just me or are my chapters getting shorter. oh and meggie6 i am unable to pm you, i believe you have it turned off.**

**well enjoy!**

Po sat up and wondered why there was a feather pillow just sitting on the side of a mountain.

It was then that he noticed the beak and hat ' why would a pillow wear a beak or hat' he thought.

He then noticed Viper speeding up the path with a look of horror on her face and every thing finally clicked. "ohh crap" he said "wait if I just crushed Crane Tigress would be pissed. And when Tigress is pissed…" he looked up to find a demon possessed Tigress looming over him.

Lu looked on at the ensuing carnage with increasing amusement 'that Tigress is a lot stronger than she looks' he thought 'and Po sure can take a lot of punishment'.

While Po was trying desperately to dislodge tigresses claws from his face Viper helped a delirious Crane to his feet and walked him over to where Lu was.

"wha happen" he asked.

"ya got knocked the fuck out" Lu said in a matter-of-factly tone.

"pardon me but, who are you" Viper asked.

"his wing is broken" Lu noted.

"YA THINK" Crane roared, now very much aware of the pain "WHERE THE HELL IS THAT SORRY EXCUSE OF A PANDA, I'm GONNA FLOG THE LIVING… wait what are you doing to my wing"

Lu had taken the opportunity to take a firm hold on Crane's broken wing and was feeling for the break "just don't move, it will all be over in a second"

Crane was horrified at the thought of a complete stranger trying to set his wing "no wait it feels better.. yeah much better OH GOD LEGGO OF MY WING PLEASE DON'T PLEASEDON'TPLEASEDON'T GOD NO!! I WANNA LIVE I…" "Crane its over" Viper said.

Crane blinked "really".

He looked down at his arm to see it set and bound in a makeshift splint "oh… that wasn't so bad"

He turned to thank Lu but instead found nothing "hey where did the wolf guy go"

Tigress stopped pounding on Po and looked around "OH CRAP"

"wha??" Crane asked.

"that guy could be a danger to the valley, we had just convinced him to come back to the jade palace where we could keep an eye on him and now he's gone"

"Well that's not good" came Viper's reply.

Po gave off a painful moan.

* * *

Po, Tigress, Crane, and Viper entered the gates at the jade palace feeling pretty down. They had spent the entire day trying to find the elusive wolf but with no luck.

"wait, do you guys hear that" Tigress asked.

Everyone listened, the sounds of splintering wood and clapping came from the training area.

Po and Crane exchanged glances.

"Mantis and Monkey training" Crane asked.

"then who is clapping" Po responded.

"good point"

They went into the training area and stood dumbfounded at what they saw.

Dozens of shattered practice dummies lay scattered around Lu as he continued his destructive path with Master Shifu looking on.

Mantis and Monkey were watching and cheered Lu on.

Lu leaped at one of the dummies bringing his knee up to shatter its head, soaring over the now decapitated dummy he spun his leg around and crushed another with the same move he used to defeat the old wolf he had been hunting.

There were now three dummies left, Lu slowly drew his blade and took a battle-ready stance.

A second passed by, then another and suddenly Lu was on the other side of the dummies. In less than a second he had sliced all three dummies clean down the middle. He gave the blade a graceful twirl and in one fluid motion sheathed it, faced Shifu and bowed.

Everyone stared for a minute before Po said "that… Was… AWESOME!!"

Tigress simply stood transfixed as Po ranted on about how awesome Lu was.

However after a moment Master Shifu cleared his throat to make an announcement "my students, I would like to introduce our newest student at the jade palace!"

This was quickly followed by a thud as Tigress fainted.

**poor Tigress, oh well she'll get over it ill see to that evil snicker. ALL WHO ARE NOT MY LOYAL FOLLOWERS SHALL SUFFER A ALOW AND PAINFUL DEATH AT THE HANDS OF MY HELLFIRE!!... to become a loyal follower simply review ;)**


	4. confrontation

**hello again! PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR POSTING SUCH SHORT CHAPTERS!! between applying for college, getting my car fixed, and dealing with a family that has WAAAAYY too many problems ive been unable to come up with anything. on a lighter note ive finally got another reader! thank you corset-rebellion-flower for donating your time to review this humble fanfic. And of course thank you meggie6 for being a loyal reader even though my updates have become continuously shorter**

The moon was now well into the sky and cast an ethereal glow on the palace as one figure stood in the courtyard. This figure ,however, didn't notice the form of a feline hiding in the shadows watching his every move with intent eyes.

Lu's brow was drenched in sweat as he switched from one stance to another.

He had spent the rest of the day practicing forms while contemplating what had transpired. 'one minute I'm on a job and the next I'm a student at the jade palace, huh' he thought 'how did I get myself into this one' he slowly shifted from one form to another 'well that Shifu is a smooth-talker'

However he was interrupted from his musings when a certain Tigress leaped out at him from the shadows to his right

He immediately broke form and jumped back narrowly avoiding Tigress' fist. "well that wasn't nice" he said as he struck an easy fighting stance.

"you may have the others fooled but I know your up to something" Tigress said as she tensed, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"oh really" Lu replied "what makes you think that"

"why else would you enroll as a student here"

"wasn't my idea"

"why should I trust you"

A small smile crossed Lu's face "you shouldn't"

Tigress leaped at him spinning into a wide kick that Lu easily dodged. She followed up with a series of punches but every one was blocked as Lu backed away.

'damned she's fast' he thought as he patiently blocked each attack waiting for an opening. He finally found it as Tigress threw a wide punch which Lu caught, he twisted her arm around her and grabbed her in a chokehold.

"don't think you've beaten me that easily" Tigress snarled as she used her free arm to elbow Lu in the stomach and break free.

"I wouldn't dream of it" Lu replied "but you know if I really tried I could have easily broken your neck if I wanted to"

Tigress felt her breath catch as she realized that he was right. "then why didn't you" she asked "I did just try to beat you and its obvious that I don't trust you".

In the blink of an eye Lu was face to face with Tigress "if there was one weed in a lush garden would you burn the entire garden simply to be rid of the weed?"

Tigress was shocked. Not only had she been beaten and told off, but had Lu just referred to HER as a lush garden?? HER…who cared only for honing her skills in kung fu? Her who had shown Lu nothing but distrust and aggression after he had saved her life? Could it be that he really thought of her like that?

As if to confirm her suspicions he leaned in and planted a small kiss on her cheek. Then before she could react he leaped away and disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

Tigress was stunned and found herself thinking about how graceful Lu was during the fight 'No' she thought 'he was just trying to get my guard down, I still cant trust him' and with that she made her way to the bunk house.

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**wow! Lu you sly wolf you! believe it or not I honestly didnt think that was going to happen, I was in a daze typing at three in the morning and didn't realize what I had written untill I reread it. ha... my subconcious is a genius**

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	5. Authors note

**hello! i am terrible sorry for not updating in so long but ive had so much to do and when i can get behind the compy i find a solid wall of writers block. **

**but please dont think that ive given up, far from it, i will try to have the next chapter up sometime in the next few days so please be patient and pray that Lu **

**has the strength to destroy the writers block. ,Sincerely **

**Lucius Ferus**


	6. flashbacks and anger management

**I finally got the next chapter up! In about a week I'm starting college so i'll have some slack off time between classes and I might get more chappys up. As it is I have less time without schooling. Anyways after this chapter things are really gonna start happening including the introduction of another character(yes Dimensional 42 I am doing it) ignore him he's just a personal friend and without further ado i give you chappy 5  
**

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Lu watched as Tigress left and then leaped off the tree branch he was perched on. "damned" he said to no one. "that was stupid, I cant let myself get too attached. Just do the job they offer then leave" he thought back to earlier that day after he met Mantis and Monkey.

**Flashback**

"_well" Mantis said "I dunno what Po was thinking offering that job being as after Tai Lung lost the fight he disappeared"_

"_don't worry" Lu replied "I'm an excellent tracker"_

"_hey there's Master Shifu" Monkey said as he waved the red panda over._

"_I see we have a visitor" Shifu said as he approached._

"_hello, I am called Lu and I'm a bounty hunter by trade. I understand that you've been having problems with a man named Tai Lung"_

_Shifu's eyes narrowed "do you really think that you have what it takes to defeat Tai Lung?"_

"_perhaps you would like a demonstration of my abilities"_

"_as you wish, but if you succeed and accept the job you must become one of my students"_

_Mantis sputtered while Monkey gaped._

_Lu took on a look of surprise as he asked "why"_

"_because if you can defeat Tai Lung that means that you are a danger to the valley"_

"_fair enough, but what about my payment"_

"_that's between you and Po"_

**End Flashback**

The next morning as Shifu and his students made their way to the training hall Lu walked up to Po and began talking in a hushed voice.

Tigress found herself glancing at Lu and wondering how he really felt about her 'either he's trying to gain my trust so he carry out some devious plan ,which is good because I can then kill him, or he's fallen hopelessly in love with me which is bad because he would be a distraction from my training.'

Tigress took a moment to muse about how different her thought patterns were from other girls 'hmm… maybe he's really a good soul who just so happens to be an excellent fighter and was born with unimaginable power for no apparent reason and the inability to completely control it causing him to accidentally destroy an entire city thereby gaining him a reputation as one of the greatest criminals of his country'

She started giggling but quickly stopped when she noticed everyone staring at her

"ok" Lu suddenly said "I know all I need and I'm ready to go"

Shifu nodded and said "good luck, and please make his death painless"

"that's entirely up to him"

"that's what I'm afraid of"

The rest of Lu's morning comprised of getting ready for the journey ahead. As he was in his temporary room packing he heard a knock at the door.

"come in Tigress" he said.

"how did you know it was me" she asked as she entered the small room.

"I heard your foot steps which ensured that you weren't Mantis or Viper, your steps were padded and soft instead of clawed like Crane's or heavy like Po's, Monkey's would have been uneven since he likes to walk on all fours and Shifu would have been tapping the floor with his cane"

"oh" Tigress responded "I guess that makes sense"

"back to the subject at hand, did you want something?"

Tigress gave herself a mental shake and said "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for being so hostile, and if you really are trying to kill Tai Lung then I wish you luck"

Lu finished packing and turned to face her and said harshly "I don't need luck when it comes to killing people, I'm good enough at that as it is".

He turned to leave but as he reached the door Tigress yelled at him "what is you problem! First you come over all kind while I'm being cruel towards you and then when I try to apologize you give me the cold shoulder?!"

He stopped and turned to her with a look of fury on his face "I've been put into this scenario a hundred times and there's always a girl like you that thinks she's the answer to all my problems!"

With every word his fury grew and soon his blue eyes began to spark into flames

Tigress saw this and her jaw dropped in surprise. Noticing this Lu shut his eyes and turned his back to her. In a much calmer voice he said "there's no room for friends in this soul, if you know what's good for you then stay away from me.

And with that he left the jade palace to track down and kill Tai Lung.

**so there you have it, not much to say except... PLEASE REVIEW!!**

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	7. at home hunting?

**hiya guys! new chappys up in case ya didn't notice this is just a kind of filler seeing as i had too much info to submit all at once so expect the next chappy relatively soon. in the meantime enjoy the glimpse into Lu's psyche**

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Tigress stood dumbstruck staring at the door that Lu had just disappeared behind. She hardly noticed as Viper slithered into the room with a look of concern on her face.

"Tigress what happened? I heard shouting and I thought maybe something happened"

Tigress didn't respond until Viper tapped her with her tail. Tigress jumped and exclaimed "what"

"are you ok?"

"yeah I'm fine" Tigress replied before exiting the room

'there's something wrong with him' she thought 'and I need to find out what for all our sakes'

* * *

Lu knelt down to trace a semi fresh foot print "well this wont be as hard as I thought" he said to himself. He was about half a days journey from the valley of peace and had easily found Tai Lung's tracks. Forestry surrounded him along with a few steep hills and he never felt more at home. He could never have another job nor could he live a tame life, this was where he belonged. The familiar sounds of the forest were like music to his ears and the scents filling his nostrils were the sweetest perfume he could hope for. His natural instincts heightened the thrill of the hunt and years of survival experience gave him an air of calm assurance. Oh yes, this WAS where he belonged, he was a born and bred hunter and he could spend his entire life in the wilderness were it not for the part of him that yearned for companionship. And even that he could not have, so he spent his life doing other peoples dirty work in order to have a measure of both.

As he stood he noticed several other sets of footprints a few yards away "a hunting party?" he thought aloud. A twig snapped behind him and it took all he had to prevent his ear from twitching in the direction of the sound. He had been followed since he left the valley and his inquisitive nature overrode the impulse to strike. So he allowed the person to follow him all the while waiting to see what they would do.

Lu continued on for several hours in the same manner, following the trail left by his quarry and ignoring his 'stalker'.

A little after noon he came upon a dense cluster of trees surrounding a small clearing and froze as he heard voices carrying through the underbrush. He carefully stalked through the clearing to find a small camp with four heavily armed crocs talking excitedly to each other "that was a great hit!" one of them said.

"yeah they didn't know what hit 'em!" replied another.

"did you see the look on the caravan leaders face before I killed him?!"

Lu recognized them as a party of bandits and decided that it was best to avoid any unnecessary confrontations. With that he quietly and skillfully slipped by them and continued on his way.

However he soon noticed a difference in how the area sounded, he took a moment to pinpoint the difference and quickly realized that the person following him had disappeared.

As if on cue a battle cry carried over the trees and Lu silently cursed as he turned on his heel and headed back to the bandit camp.

As he neared the camp he saw two of the crocs restraining none other than Tigress as one stood close to her "well well well" he growled as his scaly hand traced her face "looks like were gonna have a good time tonight"

Tigresses eyes widened in shock as she realize what they were planning and she struggled to break free. However her endeavors were rewarded with a punch to the stomach causing her to slouch in the grip of the other two.

"just kill her and get it over with" said the fourth croc who was sitting nearby nursing a bruised jaw.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that fellas" Lu said as he stepped from the bushes "you see she's kinda traveling with me".

The croc that had spoken first turned to face Lu and said "just what do you plan to do about it? What we want we get"

"well you can let me take her back and allow us to leave because I really don't feel like having an extended battle right now and we can all be on our merry way or…" Lu shrugged to emphasize his point.

The large croc laughed and took on a battle stance ignoring the set of weapons propped on a log three feet away from him.

Lu drew his blade and stabbed it into the ground so that they could have an even and fair fight.

"come on Deringe tear him to pieces" one of the other crocs cheered.

Lu suddenly crouched down low and time seemed to stop, leaves flew up from the ground in response to the surge of power emanating from the warrior wolf and hung suspended in the air.

'is this what he was trying to hide' Tigress thought as she gazed into his still blue eyes 'no, his eyes are the same'

As Lu looked up at the croc called Deringe his face slipped into a look of peace and pure serenity

And then…

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**WOW! did i just do a cliff-hanger!? yay me!! woot!! well anyways my schedule is jumping around right now so i don't have an exact date for the next chapter but ill have it up as soon as i can whispers _reviewing makes me write faster_ wink wink cya round!!**


	8. protecting the stalker

**hiya guys! i know that my chapters are too short and i had intended to make this one a lot longer but i got bored. now on to the interesting fight scene**

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The overly muscular croc didn't know what hit him, neither did any of the others for that matter. But Tigress was trained to follow the fastest opponents at any given time. That being said, she saw a hint of a blur and the back draft of leaves and put two and two together.

Somehow Lu had shot forth at an impossible speed and bulldozed Deringe's ass into next July giving a new meaning to the term "tree hugger".

Everyone stood jaws agape as Lu kneeled and tried to catch his breath. Despite many years of badassery using that much energy at once certainly took its toll on the wolf.

'please run in fear please run in fear please run in fear' he thought.

The other three crocs looked at their leader, who was currently trying to escape the tree's affections, looked back at Lu, then made a dive for their weapons.

'crap' Lu thought as he rolled away from death by a rather large axe and pulled his own blade from the earth. Now properly armed he turned to face the crocs only to find that one had Tigress by the scruff of her neck and proceeded to fling her at Lu.

Not wanting to accidentally impale Tigress on his katana he flung it aside right before she collided with him.

One of the three crocs said "hey look we got him boss".

When no response came they looked back to find that Deringe was still trying to escape the trees affections.

Lu took this opportunity to crawl out from under an unconscious Tigress and look around for his katana which he found lodged about thirty feet up in a tree "oh joy" he said as he noticed one croc running at him, mace held high.

* * *

Tigress regained consciousness just in time to see Lu slam into a small boulder. However in a matter of seconds he was up again and back in the fight.

Tigress managed to prop herself against a tree and watch as Lu fought off the crocs.

Deringe had managed to dislodge himself from the tree and had joined the battle. One of the other crocs was out cold a few feet away but Lu was having a pretty tough time.

For a moment Tigress wondered why Lu was fighting so poorly but then she noticed his injuries. Numerous cuts and bruises covered Lu's body and a large gash curved around his left side below his arm and was bleeding profusely.

Tigress watched in horror as Lu took an axe haft to the face then an armored fist to the gut. However something strange happened just before Deringe was going to deliver the killing blow.

The air around Lu became unbearably hot as his eyes were set ablaze. The grass at his feet caught fire and the crocs nearly cooked in their armor. They picked up their fallen comrade and ran for their lives through the forest.

Tigress stumbled to her feet and tried to get close to Lu but the heat was increasing to the point that nearby plants were withering and the air became unbreatheable as the oxygen was burned out of it. Noticing Tigress trying to get close to him, Lu bolted.

He flew into the forest leaving a trail of charred plants in his wake and soon he came upon a small clearing. He fell to his knees and began to take deep breaths as he tried to calm the fire within. Slowly his eyes returned to their original hue and the heat subsided allowing him to relax. He crawled a few feet away and lay down in the cool grass.

"damn that was too close" he said

"what was too close"

Lu glanced up to see Tigress holding his katana and looking at him intently.

"nothing that should concern you" he replied "why did you follow me?"

"because I thought something was wrong with you, and it looks like I was right" she answered.

Lu stood and walked over to Tigress "my personal affairs don't concern you"

"they do if they make you a danger to the valley"

"all the more reason for me to leave when I've finished this job"

Tigress sighed "let me help you"

"I don't need or want your help" Lu replied.

"oh really" Tigress said "you didn't look like you were doing too well earlier when you were fighting those crocs"

"I wouldn't have been fighting them if it wasn't for you"

"so you would have just left them to go kill more people?"

"people are killed every day, killing a few crocs isn't going to change that"

"you could have saved dozens of people"

"give me my katana"

"not until you let me help you"

Lu leapt over Tigress, landing behind her. He slipped his leg behind her knee and brought his arm around to grab her throat. With a push of his hand she was flat on her back and Lu twisted his katana out of her grip.

Tigress gasped as this happened and recovered in time to see Lu sheath his blade.

"if you keep doing things like that the your going to pass out from blood loss" Tigress said as she stood up.

Lu lifted his arm to show that the wound he had sustained was fully cauterized.

Tigress gasped and leaned closer. After a moment she asked "how"

Lu pointed back to the charred path he had come through. He began to walk away but stopped and turned to her "those crocs are professional killers" he said "its too dangerous for you to travel alone, you better come with me"

Tigress glanced up in surprise "I thought you didn't what anything to do with me"

"I don't but there's no way in heaven or earth that I'm going to leave another living being to die"

And with that he left to find the trail he has lost earlier.

Tigress hesitated for a moment and then followed.

* * *

**well there ya have it. the power that Lu has will be explained in detail in the next chapter along with the meeting of Tai Lung. tell me what ya think!**


	9. memories and confrontations

**hello again guys! i know i said i was going to explain all about Lu's power but i got carried away with his past. any ways enjoy. oh and im also introducing a new character  
**

* * *

_I walked into the citadel and was met with cheers for my latest victory. As I looked around the crowd I saw a positively gorgeous tiger running up to me. As she neared me she practically leaped into my arms._

"_I was afraid you weren't coming back" she said_

"_you know I'm too stubborn to die" I said with a chuckle._

_However our joy was short lived as the emergency horn sounded from somewhere in the upper regions of the parapets. I lead several people outside and we then froze._

_Thousands of bodies covered the battlefield I had just returned from. I must have literally been the last one off the field. But it wasn't the stench of death or the crows circling above that caused us to quake in fear. It was the thing standing before us._

_The body resembled a lions but it was taller and the skeleton was clearly visible under the rotting flesh. Wispy white hair shrouded a face that had been devoid of life for ages. And the eyes. Eyes that were as black as the burning bodies around it, eyes that killed the light and struck nothing less than overwhelming mind-numbing terror In whoever it looked at. And it was looking at me._

_As I felt the force of fear gripping me and taking root like an evil weed I heard a soft whimper beside me. She had followed me. my love, my Kyra had followed me. I knew I had to try. I was certain that the beast before me would kill me but I had to try to protect her._

_I drew my katana and charged. The beast let out a long howl that pierced my soul and increased the terror tenfold. I fell to my knees as the ever present power inside me responded to the cry. The overwhelming need to survive was triggered by the fear the creature had instilled and that ,in turn, triggered the fire deep inside me._

_The evil laughter of the creature echoed in my head as it melded into the earth and disappeared. But the damage was done. The air around me became hot and my eyes sprang into an inferno._

_I managed to turn to the others and scream "RUN!!"._

_And run they did, but one didn't. Kyra knelt and embraced me "please" she said to me "please fight it, I know your strong enough"_

_I fought. And I failed. The ethereal flames burst forth from my body and scorched the landscape. I saw the shock on Kyra's face, the horror as the flesh melted from her body. Her screams were like daggers in my heart as she burned in my arms._

_And then the second wave shot forth. The true blast that made everything white as I felt her bones evaporating in my hands and then…_

_Silence._

_I opened my eyes and found my self sitting in the middle of the crater that once was a great city. And everything was gone. The people, the city, the castle…_

_Her… I killed her…_

_I could feel nothing…_

_Nothing but the pain… pain like fire…_

_And I screamed…_

_I couldn't hear it but I screamed…_

_Loud enough to be heard for miles…_

_When I finally stopped I tasted blood in the back of my throat…_

_And then, blackness…_

* * *

Lu woke with a start. Sweat drenched him from head to toe as he looked around and found that he was still in the forest.

He stood and walked a small ways to a river and splashed his face with the cool water. As he stood fully awake hr thought of the dream and shuddered.

"you were crying out in your sleep"

Lu turned to face Tigress.

"what were you dreaming about?" she asked

Lu looked towards the horizon and saw the first rays of light peeking over the trees.

"dawn" he said "if we leave now we can reach the next town by noon". he slung his katana over his shoulder and began to walk away.

"who is Kyra" Tigress asked

Lu stopped in his tracks.

"Lu if you don't want me to help you at least tell me why"

"all right" Lu sighed. He turned to her "have you ever heard of a city called Leros, in the land of Kinoc?"

Tigress thought for a moment and said "only legends"

"tell me of these legends"

Tigress sat down on a rock and spoke of the stories she heard several years ago. "the story goes that the city Leros was a great stronghold. That people from everywhere in the world went there to make a living. It was said that the city was built over a crystal that brought fame and fortune to everyone who lived there. But some people wanted the crystal for themselves. One lion named Thenith wanted the crystal for himself and raised an army to take it. For almost a year Thenith laid siege to Leros and the people of the city had lost hope. Then came a lone hero who took command of the army of Leros and in a single battle that lasted days slew the invading army and killed Thenith. However after that the hero revealed himself to be an evil demon and destroyed the city." Tigress sat up and thought for a moment then she said "they said that the demon's name was Lucius Ferus, that all I know"

Lu slumped against a tree and said "well I can tell you right now that most of that is a load of bull" he looked up at her and said "I was there"

Tigresses shot up in her seat and exclaimed "what?! You were at Leros?!"

"yes" Lu replied "and I fought in the battle of ages ,which is what they called it because if you ever fight non stop for six days it will feel like ages to you. In truth, there was never any crystal. Thenith raided the city for its treasures. The real reason that Leros was so prosperous was the fact that they had a perfect economical system. There was no wasted money and no falling markets. If anything they had too much money. Anyways, back then I was young and naïve. I had fallen in love and her name was…" Lu stopped as the old painful memories washed back to him.

"Kyra" Tigress answered for him.

Lu looked at her and thought of Kyra 'they look so much alike' he thought. Snapping back to reality he continued "yes Kyra, the part where Lucius destroyed the city is true too. And… Kyra was in the city when it happened"

A look of realization crossed Tigresses face as she finally understood what he was saying "oh Lu I'm sorry I brought it up I promise I…"

"no" Lu interrupted "you have a right to know what you are traveling with. My real name is not Lu"

Tigress felt fear grip her as she anticipated his next words.

"its Lucius. My real name is Lucius Ferus" he braced himself for her response, but she never got the chance.

Lu rolled away from the tree seconds before it was splintered. As he stood he saw none other that Tai Lung himself glaring menacingly at the both of them.

He looked like he had been through hell and back. His fur was disheveled and his hand where Po had caught him in the Wu Xi Finger hold was covered in one big scar. But overall he seemed to be in good physical form. He stood tall and said to Tigress "its not enough that you take everything from me, but now you want me dead too"

Hatred burned in tigresses eyes and her claws unsheathed. She took a step in Tai Lung's direction but was stopped by Lu.

"I'm the one who is being paid" he said "I'll deal with him"

Tigress looked at him for a moment and nodded.

Lu turned towards Tai Lung and unslung his blade "I don't like having unfair advantages" he said as he propped it up against a tree.

Tai Lung simply nodded as he took his fighting stance.

Lu took a fighting stance that neither feline had seen before. His left foot was forward and his weight was balanced. His left arm was poised horizontally in front as if he was going to block with it. His right arm was tucked close to his body and came just short of being under his left.

Tai Lung struck first. His fist shot straight towards Lu's face but Lu was faster. Lu's left arm snagged Tai Lung's wrist and his right arm snaked under it. Lu spun around and sent Tai Lung flying.

Tai Lung recovered quickly and sent a flying kick that connected with Lu's stomach. But Lu grasped Tai Lung's leg and sent a kick of his own at Tai's head.

The battle continued like this for some time with neither warrior gaining or losing ground. However Lu was built for endurance and Tai Lung had been on the run for some time now.

Exhaustion took its toll on the kung fu master and he fell to his knees, unable to continue.

He looked a Lu and said "you must be the greatest fighter I have ever fought, if I had to be killed by someone I'm glad it was you"

Lu took up his katana and drew it placing the tip at Tai Lung's neck. But as he did he saw something in Tai Lung's eyes.

He saw regret, fear , and sorrow. Memories came to Lu like a flood.

Memories of running, of the pain and regret. Memories of being caught by mercenaries and being tortured. Memories of escape and fear, fear of being killed by the very people he had fought to save.

And Lu lowered his blade "we have more in common Tai Lung" he said "than you could possibly imagine"

Tigress was shocked "what are you doing?!" she exclaimed "you are being paid to kill him"

"my name is Lucius Ferus" Lu said "I destroyed Leros and ever since then I have traveled the world searching for forgiveness. How could I ask for forgiveness if I don't give it to others like me"

Tai Lung struggled to his feet.

"but you don't know what he might do!" Tigress shouted

"wrong" Lu said "I know exactly what he's going to do".

Lu turned to Tigress and said "he's going to do what I did, run every day and spend the rest of his life searching for forgiveness"

Turning back to Tai Lung he said "head east and follow the river, it will take you out of the country"

Tai Lung stared at Lu for a moment and then bowed very deeply "you are a noble warrior" he said.

"I wish" Lu scoffed.

And then Tai Lung ran off into the forest.

Lu turned to Tigress and said "just call the deal off"

* * *

Later that day they came across a small town and decided to spend the night there.

As they made their way to the inn Lu saw the flap of a cloak and it didn't take long for Lu to recognize the new comer "REN!!" Lu shouted

The cloaked fox turned toward Lu and upon recognizing Lu grinned and came up to him.

"well well well" Ren said "its been a while hasn't it Lu"

"indeed it has" Lu said "what brings you to this part of the world?"

"I heard rumors about you so I came to see what's going on" Ren replied

Then a gruff but familiar voice spoke out "at last we found you"

Lu turned to face none other than Deringe and his gang

"oh good" he said.

But Ren didn't say anything he simply took a causal fighting stance and beckoned then to come closer.

**well there ya have it! please R&R**


	10. history of freinds

**Greetings all! I've finally got the whole back story explained so from now on its all the future! wait... did that make sense... oh well, enjoy!**

* * *

Lu walked around the corner with a bowl of dumplings in each hand. As he neared the inn he heard the cries of pain and chuckled to himself. Turning around the last corner he saw a small crowd gathered around Ren and the four crocs as they fought. Well actually the crocs were fighting and losing badly while Ren looked like he was having the time of his life.

The croc gang had lost any hope of teamwork and simply attacked at random. Ren on the other hand was evading each attack and following up with one of his own. He even had enough arrogance to spout helpful hints to the crocs as he fought.

Lu walked over to Tigress and handed her one of the bowls.

"how long do you think its been" she asked him

Lu looked up at the sun and said "I think about three hours"

Tigresses jaw dropped "three hours since this fight started?!"

"yep"

"but that guy hasn't even broken a sweat"

"nope"

"that's physically impossible"

"he's too stubborn to obey the laws of physics"

"who is he anyways?"

Lu looked at her and said "ya know I never got to hear what you had to say about who I really am"

Tigress glanced at him ,blushed, and looked down at her bowl.

Hang on.

Rewind.

Did Tigress just BLUSH??

At HIM??

'oooohhhh, that can't be good' he thought.

Tigress said "I don't know what it is about you. At first I thought I hated you but everything you've done so far has me convinced that you can't be evil. Even if you did destroy Leros you don't seem like the type who would do that on purpose"

Lu looked at his own bowl and pondered this for a moment.

"well it was an accident if you can call it that" he looked at Ren and saw that he had no intentions of stopping "I might as well tell you the whole story"

They walked over to a bench and sat down.

"well, lets start with my beginnings. I was born in a small town in Dernag near the border of Cephiris. My mother died giving birth so I was taken in by the town elder. Try as I might I couldn't find my father, no one had ever known my mother to have relations with a man so my birth came as a shock to the town. Anyways the elder happened to be a Master in a rather peculiar fighting style"

Seeing Tigresses confused look he explained "it's a style focused on close quarters combat. He taught me and I excelled at it. But the style is pretty unknown and is based on the assumption that the opponent is attacking from a relatively close range. If the opponent is armed with anything bigger than a dirk it is very difficult to get close enough for the style to really shine. So as soon as I mastered it I was off on a journey to create my own style based off of it. A good thing I left when I did too because when I hit 13 years of age my lament powers came out".

"wait" Tigress said "when you turned 13? How old were you when you left the village?"

"about 10"

Tigress stared at him "you were on your own at ten year of age?"

"yup"

"why"

"I wasn't very popular with the mayor"

"because?"

"I was best friends with his daughter"

Tigress blinked "that's it?"

"she was a swan"

"I'm failing to see the connection here"

"Tigress, where I come from people are divided by their race. A wolf and a swan being friends is unheard of and considered a disgrace. As a matter of fact the only other wolf in the village was the elder which is why I was able to stay for as long as I did".

Tigress grimaced "that is disgusting, banishing a child because he is friends with a member of a different race?"

"meh, I was used to it. Anyways when I turned 13 my powers emerged. I have no idea what it is but a wise man I once spoke to about it called it hellfire. I am able to generate intense levels of heat and flame that can literally incinerate anything. I usually have a hard time controlling it so I tend to avoid using it at all. But there are times when instinct or severe stress triggers it. Only once has it been triggered on a large scale and it took Leros with it. It is part of me and is rooted into my very soul".

"is that why your eyes turn red when you get angry or scared?" Tigress asked

"yes" Lu responded "hellfire responds to things like fear, anger, sorrow, and the will to survive. While holding the power my strength and agility is also increased which is why I can cave in a bodybuilders side without any swinging room. I also have a small ability to control it but if I lose focus the results can be devastating"

"is that what happened at Leros?"

Lu sighed "no, after I defeated Thenith's army I saw a soul reaver. Its like a dead body that still works, they appear at places where many people have died to feed on their souls. They can strike fear in the living and cause them to go into shock giving the reaver the chance to feed on a live soul. But when it tried to feed on me the hellfire broke loose."

Tigress was worried. Lu was talking rather frankly about the whole incident and seemed like it didn't bother him. But if that were true then why did he wake from a nightmare about it that very morning?

"anyway" Lu went on "I met Kyra when I was about 19 traveling in Kinoc and we got together. After the Leros incident I went off the grid and traveled in secret." Lu looked up to see if Ren was about ready to stop.

Nope.

He continued "a few days after I started running I came across Ren mortally wounded ,he had a gash across his back from the left side of his neck to the bottom of his right shoulder blade. I was still feeling 'toasty' so I cauterized the wound ,which was about all I could do for the moment."

Lu looked at Tigress "he doesn't know that I healed him so don't tell"

Tigress cocked her head to the side "why" she asked.

"because, I used the remnants of hellfire to heal the wound and I don't think that anyone would want to be touched by that kind of evil. Ren is my only real friend, I don't want that to end because of something that happened years ago. Anyways as it turned out Thenith had survived and made a run for it. Apparently Thenith killed Ren's father and Ren was looking for revenge. He fought with Thenith but lost and was left for dead which is when I found him. After I healed him I left and pursued my venue as a bounty hunter."

Ren finally stopped after realizing that three of the crocs were unconscious and one was almost dead. He walked over to Lu and tried to steal one of his dumplings earning himself a rap on the knuckle from Lu's chopsticks "three cowry" Lu said.

"three cowry!" Ren exclaimed "that's exorbitant!"

"ooh, big word"

"I could buy my own bowl for half that"

"then do it"

Ren sighed and dug in his cloak coming out with three of the shell like coins.

"pleasure doing business with you" Lu said as he traded what was left of the bowl for the money.

Tigress watched the exchange and chuckled.

They looked at her with confused faces to which she said "you two could be brothers"

Lu and Ren looked at each other and then back at Tigress "how so" they asked in unison.

"well" Tigress said "your both canines for starters, your both great fighters, you've known each other for years and you bicker like brothers do"

The two guys looked at each other again ,looked back at Tigress, then shrugged.

"by the way" Ren said "I don't believe we have met, my name's Ren Karsito"

"call me Tigress" said feline replied

"so what were you guys talking about" Ren asked

"origins" Lu replied

"ah"

"yup"

"where were you?"

"our first meeting"

"ah, yes I had posted a job involving a certain warlord and you answered it"

"yup, I answered it and then the two of us came to an arrangement" Lu said to Tigress

"500 cowry" Ren picked up "to assist me in his demise"

"and demise him we did"

"actually I don't think that's the proper verbiage"

"Exorbitant? Verbiage? Your using a lot of big words today"

"like you could use any of them"

"here's one for you: supercallifagilisticexpialli-FUCK YOU"

What happened next shocked both of them.

Tigress snorted.

They both looked at her for a moment then burst out laughing.

Tigress was too busy hiding a furiously blushing face to do anything in her defense and so for about ten minutes the guys laughed mirthfully.

After everything had calmed down Lu got back on topic.

"anyways" he said "after we killed him we decided to stay in contact being as we really only had each other"

"I may have been the only person who didn't hate Lu for what he did"

Lu shot a dark glare at Ren

"sorry, sorry, what you accidentally did"

Lu continued "we do our own thing and get together every once in a while. Anyways that's our story"

"well" Tigress said "it's a story all right"

Lu shrugged "now that the past is covered we can get to the present. I am correct in assuming that Shifu doesn't know your with me?"

Tigress chuckled nervously

Lu nodded "I figured as much, I'll have to send him a letter explaining the situation" a wry smile crossed his face "after, the festival tomorrow that is"

* * *

**well what do ya think? tell me! im dying to know! oh by the way cowry was really the currency in acient china. as far as i know it is the first known currency in the world, but hey im no money expert. i just know how to spend it ;P**


	11. earning money Part 1

**Hi, at first i was just going to make this a "relax" chapter but something actually happens in this chap, oh and i dont usually do songfic things but i thought the story was too "touch and go" if you will so i made this chapter to let the guys (and girl) relax**

* * *

Tigress awoke early as usual and dresses in anticipation to the day ahead. She had attended festivals in the valley of peace and usually hated them but today she was a civilian in a town that didn't know her. She could enjoy herself.

As she walked outside of the inn she looked to the rising sun 'wow' she thought 'I got up earlier than usual'

"beautiful isn't it"

Tigress turned and looked up at the roof of the inn to see Lu sitting with one leg hanging off "yes it is" Tigress replied.

She looked around and saw the first signs of life in the town. Small children playing tag, mothers washing clothes or trying to catch their kids, and small shop owners preparing for the festival.

Lu leapt down from his perch on the roof and landed next to Tigress "I finished the letter to Shifu but we can wait to send it until tomorrow"

"why are you waiting" Tigress asked

Lu looked at her with a devilish grin "because you look like you could use a day off"

They waited several minutes for Ren but he didn't come out.

Tigress tapped her foot impatiently and asked "when is he going to get up"

Lu didn't answer right away as he stooped down to pick up a rock about the size of his fist "I figure he'll be up soon"

"are you sure" Tigress asked

"pretty sure" Lu replied as he tested the wind. He then flung the rock straight up in the air and stood poised. When the rock neared him he roundhouse kicked it into a tree by the inns upstairs window and it arced into the room.

They heard a sudden yelp

"see he's up"

Tigress laughed until Ren came out. Then she laughed harder.

Ren had a large lump between his ears. He walked over to Lu and asked "is this yours" brandishing the rock under Lu's nose

"well speak of the devil" Lu said inspecting the rock "I was looking for that"

Ren lunged at Lu who sidestepped and tripped Ren. When Ren recovered he grappled Lu trying to overpower him

"give it up bush tail I'm the bigger canine" Lu said

"haven't you heard that its not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog" Ren replied

"face it I got you beat in size and fight" Lu said as he flipped Ren over his head and turned to face him.

"I could go on all day" Ren said

"not if I nerve strike you into a vegetable"

Ren stopped "you can do that" he asked

"I'm pretty sure"

Ren shrugged and said "I'll get you back"

"no you wont"

"I mean it"

"if you did you wouldn't have told me"

"crap"

The trio spent the morning going from stall to stall and enjoying the town life. About midmorning they happened across the town square where a stage had been set up. A rather chunky pig was yapping on a bout how some hero or another did something brave and got lucky and how they had declared this festival in his name and all that jazz. The he said "in honor of the great hero Worsheshisteshisteshisteshisteshire (try saying THAT five times fast) we shall hold a singing contest where the prize shall be 1000 cowry"

Both Lu's and Ren's eyebrows shot up

"there must be four songs: one of inspiration, one of hope, one that you may choose as you will, and one that you must do with a friend. We have a full orchestra so you may choose whatever songs you wish"

Ren and Lu looked at each other.

"I can sing" Ren said

"I sing better" Lu replied

"50/50"

"80/20"

"60/40"

"75/25 that's one quarter for one out of four songs"

"done"

Lu lifted his hand and said "I'll participate"

"great" the pig said "the first song will be the inspirational one. We will begin in a few minutes so please be ready"

* * *

Lu stepped onto the stage and whispered the song he was going to sing in the director's ear. Then he took his place and began

_You feel like a candle in a hurricane_

_Just like a picture with a broken frame_

_Alone and helpless_

_Like you've lost your fight_

_But you'll be alright_

_You'll be alright_

Tigress was stunned. She had never thought that Lu could sing but the voice she was hearing now was positively… heavenly.

_Cause when push comes to shove_

_You taste what you're made of_

_You might bend, till you break_

_Cause it's all you can take_

_On your knees you look up_

_Decide you've had enough_

_You get mad you get strong_

_Wipe your hands shake it off_

_Then you Stand,_

_Then you stand_

As the tempo picked up Lu began to really get into it, he poured out his heart and soul remembering all the times that he had fallen and with the will and determination of a warrior stood again.

_Life's like a novel_

_With the end ripped out_

_The edge of a canyon_

_With only one way down_

_Take what you're given before it's gone_

_Start holding on, keep holding on_

_Cause when push comes to shove_

_You taste what you're made of_

_You might bend, till you break_

_Cause it's all you can take_

_On your knees you look up_

_Decide you've had enough_

_You get mad you get strong_

_Wipe your hands shake it off_

_Then you Stand,_

_Yeah then you stand._

_Everytime you get up_

_And get back in the race_

_One more small piece of you_

_Starts to fall into place_

_Ooohhh_

_Cause when push comes to shove_

_You taste what you're made of_

_You might bend, till you break_

_Cause it's all you can take_

_On your knees you look up_

_Decide you've had enough_

_You get mad you get strong_

_Wipe your hands shake it off_

_Then you Stand,_

_Then you stand_

_Yeah then you stand._

_Yeah then you stand._

_Yeah baby_

_Ohhhhhhhhh_

_Ohhhhhhhhh_

_Ohhhhhhhhh_

_Ooohhhhhhh_

_Then you stand_

As the song drew to a close he took a deep breath at the surge of emotions he had let out. He needed that.

Cheers erupted as he stepped down from the stage to rest for the next round.

"nice job" Ren said

"have you ever been in love" Lu asked him

"not particularly" Ren responded

"then we have work to do" Lu turned to Tigress and asked "why are you staring"

Tigress shook herself out of the trance and said "your voice is incredible"

"wolves are naturally attuned to music"

"really" Tigress asked

"how else do ya think wolves howl at the moon"

Tigress raised one eyebrow "I though that was a myth"

"it happens on occasion" he began to walk back to the inn "Ren come on we need to rehearse the last song"

* * *

'here we go again' Lu thought as he once again told the director his song of choice and took his place.

He glance over at Tigress who was glowing in anticipation of his next song.

The pig spoke aloud "the next song shall be of the singers choosing" he turned to Lu and said "you may begin"

_From underneath the trees, _

_we watch the sky_

_Confusing stars for satellites_

_I never dreamed that you'd be mine_

_But here we are, we're here tonight_

Lu ,being a wolf could change the pitch of his voice and allowed it to take a deeper and more heartfelt tone

_Singing Amen, I, I'm alive_

_Singing Amen, I, I'm alive_

_If everyone cared and nobody cried_

_If everyone loved and nobody lied_

_If everyone shared and_

_swallowed their pride_

_Then we'd see the day when nobody died_

_And I'm singing_

_Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive_

_Amen I, Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive_

_And in the air the fireflies_

_Our only light in paradise_

_We'll show the world they were wrong_

_And teach them all to sing along_

_Singing Amen, I, I'm alive_

_Singing Amen, I, I'm alive(I'm alive)_

_If everyone cared and nobody cried_

_If everyone loved and nobody lied_

_If everyone shared and_

_swallowed their pride_

_Then we'd see the day when nobody died_

_If everyone cared and nobody cried_

_If everyone loved and nobody lied_

_If everyone shared and_

_swallowed their pride_

_Then we'd see the day when nobody died_

_when nobody died_

_And as we lie beneath the stars_

_We realize how small we are_

_If they could love like you and me_

_Imagine what the world could be_

_If everyone cared and nobody cried_

_If everyone loved and nobody lied_

_If everyone shared and_

_swallowed their pride_

_Then we'd see the day when nobody died_

_If everyone cared and nobody cried_

_If everyone loved and nobody lied_

_If everyone shared and_

_swallowed their pride_

_Then we'd see the day when nobody died_

_When nobody died..._

_We'd see the day, we'd see the day_

_When nobody died_

_We'd see the day, we'd see the day_

_When nobody died_

_We'd see the day when nobody died_

As Lu finished he looked over to see Tigress in tears.

He had to do a double take.

Tigress never cried. But she was indeed crying.

Lu leapt off of the stage and walked over to her "what's the matter" he asked

Tigress looked up at him and said "that was beautiful"

Lu looked at her with surprise "what"

"I reminds me of what I fight for and your voice is just…" she trailed off staring into his piercing blue eyes…

And then kissed him.

At first Lu was shocked, then he eased into the kiss wrapping his arms around her.

Suddenly Lu pushed away. Tigress looked confused and hurt "Lu what…"

Lu cut her off "please don't take it personal Tigress. Its just…" he hesitated "I don't want what happened to Kyra to happen to you"

Tigress thought about what he said and looked up into his eyes "do you love me" she asked

Lu looked at her for a moment before answering "yes, but that's why I can't be with you"

"I love you" Tigress said "and I'll be damned if you ,or anyone else, is going to keep me from you"

"you could die"

"I don't care"

Lu looked into her eyes for several moments and then brought her lips to his. After a rather long kiss they broke and Lu said "I envy your strength"

Tigress laughed and they walked hand-in-hand back to the inn.

* * *

**well there ya go! the first song was "stand" by rascal flatts and the second was "if everyone cared" by nickleback. just cause im feeling generous here are the links so you can hear the actual songs (try listening to them while you read the fic) stand: **/watch?vv8zWb0-pCbQ** if everyone cared:** /watch?v4kABptA8xmg **tell me what ya think!**


	12. earning money Part 2

**finally! sorry this took so long but i was stumped as to what songs to use. i had too many to choose from!! anyways enjoy and though i dont think i have said it yet... i dont own crap! 'cept for Lu and Ren** **well technically Ren dosent belong to me either, he was a freinds original idea,** **but i have total control over him.**

**it just came to my attention that the links i gave you are all screwy. i apologize for this, if you still want them go to my profile and use the ones there. **

* * *

"no no no" Lu said "your putting too much effort into it"

"well dammit first I'm too soft now I'm too strong. What the hell do you want?!"

Lu sighed, four hours had gone by and after convincing Tigress that he had to rehearse with Ren they got started. But things were not going well.

"this would be a lot easier if you were in love with someone, or at least had been at some time"

"well sorry for disappointing you"

Lu shook his head "no matter, lets take a break and go get a meal"

"now your talking"

"your buying"

"aw hell"

Lu walked out of his room and knocked on Tigresses door. After a moment she opened it and Lu said "lunch"

She nodded and followed the two canines out of the inn and down the street. They found a suitable bakery and enjoyed a meal of bread and pastries. As Lu wolfed down the last of his meal (ha ha get it!? He's a wolf ha ha I'm an idgiot) he happened to look over his shoulder and stopped dead. "Tigress" he said

"yes?"

"your in trouble"

Tigress looked at him and said "what do you mea-"

"TIGRESS"

"oh crap"

And Viper flew at Tigress only to be caught by Lu and placed on the table. "were being subtle" he said.

She looked at him and huffed "how could you let Tigress leave without telling anyone" she asked

"didn't know" Lu replied

"and why did you let her follow you when you found out"

"wasn't my idea"

"and why should I trust you?"

"you shouldn't" Tigress answered for Lu as she smiled at him.

Ren witnessed the exchange and said "umm… hi"

Viper nodded at him and turned to continue berating Tigress but…

"excuse me"

Once again Viper looked at Ren and asked "what?"

"your sitting in my meal"

Viper looked down and saw that she was indeed coiled on Ren's plate and slid off of it, her face burning. "sorry" she said

"no prob" Ren replied "I always wanted to have snake flavored pastries"

Lu smacked Ren upside the head

"would you stop that." Ren said in anger.

"no." Lu replied.

"both of you stop it." Tigress said, "your acting like siblings. why can't you be more civilized?"

Viper held off her question and said "once again I'm sorry Mr..."

"this is Ren. Ren, this is Viper" Lu said

"'ello." is all that Ren was able to say through a mouthful of food.

"and" Lu continued "if I stopped hurting him he would get too arrogant and trust me you don't want to see him arrogant"

Viper once again turned to Tigress and said "Master Shifu has everyone else scattered out over half the country looking for you. Why didn't you at least send us a letter?"

"we were going to tomorrow" Lu said

"oh"

"yup"

Suddenly a gong rang out signaling the next round in the sing-off.

"oh shite!" Lu exclaimed as he jumped out of his chair and made a dash for the square.

Tigress and Ren followed and explained the competition to Viper along the way.

"I know he is a good fighter but can he really sing?" Viper asked

Tigress grinned and said "his voice is pure bliss"

Viper glanced at her and said "we need to talk"

"yeah yeah, later"

* * *

They reached the square just as Lu stepped onto the stage and gave his song

_I spent the morning at an old friend's grave_

_Flowers and Amazing Grace, he was a good man_

_He spent his whole life spinnin' his wheels_

_Never knowin' how the real thing feels_

_He never took a chance or took the time to dance_

_And I stood there thinking as I said goodbye_

_Today is the first day of the rest of my life_

_I'm gonna stop lookin' back_

_Start movin' on_

_And learn how to face my fears_

_Love with all of my heart, make my mark_

_I wanna leave something here_

_Go out on a ledge, with out any net_

_That's what I'm gonna be about_

_Yeah I wanna be runnin'_

_When the sand runs out_

_'Cause people do it everyday_

_Promise themselves they're gonna change_

_I've been there, but I'm changin' from the inside out_

_That was then and this is now_

_I'm a new man, yeah, I'm a brand new man_

_And when they carve my stone they'll write these words_

_"Here lies a man who lived life for all that it's worth"_

_I'm gonna stop lookin' back_

_Start movin' on_

_Learn how to face my fears_

_Love with all of my heart, make my mark_

_I wanna leave something here_

_Go out on a ledge, with out any net_

_That's what I'm gonna be about_

_Yeah I wanna be runnin'_

_When the sand runs out_

_As the cold wind blows across the graveyard_

_I think I hear_

_The voice of my old friend_

_Whisper in my ear_

_I'm gonna stop lookin' back_

_Start movin' on_

_Learn how to face my fears_

_Love with all of my heart, make my mark_

_I wanna leave something here_

_Go out on a ledge, with out any net_

_That's what I'm gonna be about_

_Yeah I wanna be runnin'_

_When the sand runs out_

_I wanna be runnin'_

_When the sand runs out_

Lu finished and stepped down ignoring the cheers he received and walked over to the others "I think we should try a different song Ren" he said

Ren looked at him and asked "why is that"

"because ,frankly, you suck at the song were trying to do and I just came up with the perfect one"

"which would be?"

"you'll see" Lu looked at Viper who had been staring at him with moonstruck eyes "what" he asked her

"marry me?"

Lu blinked "come again?"

"at least let me take you out, please?"

Lu looked at Ren and asked "is my voice really that good?"

Ren pointed behind him and Lu turned to see several girls staring at him from around a corner, giggling and pointing at him.

"oh" he said

As soon as Tigress saw the girls she marched right up to Lu and planted a passionate (and very visible) kiss on his lips.

Ren looked away, Viper's jaw hit the ground, and most of the girls left in a huff. Although several weren't swayed and simply sent glares at Tigress who broke away from Lu and sauntered down the street with a look of smug satisfaction on her face.

Ren and Lu glanced at each other

"dude your girlfriend is a minx" Ren said

"no she's not but I get your point"

"I should hope so"

"HANG ON A MINUTE" Viper shouted "when did this happen?!"

"earlier today" Lu replied "take it up with Tigress, she made the first move" he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose "way too much has happened today for my liking"

Ren shrugged and started down the street towards the inn "if were going to practice the new song then we better hurry"

Lu followed with Viper in tow

"so" Viper said as they walked "you and Tigress?"

"yup"

"how?"

"music"

"music?"

"yup"

Viper thought for a moment and said "I just can't believe it, I mean she _hated_ you when we first met"

"so I thought" Lu glanced at her as he walked "and what about you? You weren't serious a minute ago were you?"

"oh that was just me being a girl" she replied

"good, I don't really want to be on the receiving end of Tigresses anger"

They arrived at the inn and Lu left Viper to her thoughts as he and Ren went to practice.

* * *

Lu and Ren stepped onto the stage and gave the song they were going to sing.

"you ready for this" Lu asked

"you know it" Ren replied

As the music started they high fived each other and began

Lu: _This ain't a song for_

_the broken-hearted_

Ren: _A silent prayer for_

_faith-departed_

Both: _I ain't gonna be just a_

_face in the crowd_

_You're gonna hear my voice_

_When I shout it out aloud_

Lu: _It's my life_

_If it's now or never_

_And I ain't gonna live forever_

_I just want to live while I'm alive_

Ren: _My heart is like an open highway_

_Like Frankie said_

_I did it my way_

_I just wanna live while I'm alive_

Both: _It's my life_

Ren: _This is for the ones who_

_stood their ground_

Lu: _For Tommy and Gina who_

_never backed down_

Both: _Tomorrow's getting_

_harder make no mistake_

_Luck ain't even lucky_

_Got to make your own breaks_

Ren: _It's my life_

_And it's now or never_

_I ain't gonna live forever_

_I just want to live while I'm alive_

Lu: _My heart is like an open highway_

_Like Frankie said_

_I did it my way_

_I just want to live while I'm alive_

_'Cause it's my life_

Both: _Better stand tall when_

_they're calling you out_

_Don't bend, don't break,_

_baby, don't back down_

Lu: _It's my life_

_And it's now or never_

_'Cause I ain't gonna live forever_

_I just want to live while I'm alive_

Ren: _My heart is like an open highway_

_Like Frankie said_

_I did it my way_

_I just want to live while I'm alive_

Both: _It's my life_

Lu: _And it's now or never_

Ren: _I ain't gonna live forever_

Both: _I just want to live while I'm alive_

Ren: _My heart is like an open highway_

Lu: _Like Frankie said_

_I did it my way_

Both: _I just want to live while I'm alive_

_'Cause it's my life!_

They were met with the roaring of the crowd and the oversized pig stepped up and said "we have our winners!"

Ren and Lu were given several bags of cowry and they stepped off of the stage and over to a table where they sorted the money

"250 cowry as promised" Lu said

"much appreciated" Ren replied

Lu took 500 cowry and walked over to a small ocelot boy begging on the street. He knelt down and said something to the kid and then placed all 500 cowry in the boys outstretched hands. The boy cried out in joy and hugged Lu then ran off.

Tigress was touched by Lu's generosity and by the looks of it so was Viper.

But Ren was unsurprised and said "should have seen that coming"

Lu pocketed the remaining 250 and said "I'm going to turn in for the day"

"ya me too" Ren said

"agreed" Tigress said "Viper you can get a room next to mine"

"ok" Viper said

And with that they all made their way back to the inn, pockets much heavier than that morning.

* * *

**well there ya have it! the songs are "when the sand runs out" by rascal flatts and "its my life" by bon jovi. **** please review!**


	13. everything goes to pot

**i know this chapters kinda short but i had a tough time deciding what to have happen. expect longer chapters in the future anyways things finally start happening! enjoy**

* * *

Lu was awoken by a loud scream that pierced the night air. He shot up and in a matter of moments had donned his clothes and katana. Fitting his shoulder guard into place he dashed out of the inn and saw several buildings on fire towards the far edge of town. He sensed Tigress Viper and Ren join him and Tigress said "a fire! We have to help them!" she started off towards the burning buildings but was stopped when Lu placed a hand on her shoulder.

"look" he said pointing to the areas between the buildings.

Tigress inspected them closer and saw lines of armed men with torches attacking the civilians "a raid!" she exclaimed

"more like a massacre" Ren said

Lu looked around and said "this way" and darted into an alley with the others close behind him. He made several turns and stopped between two buildings. The stench of burning wood permeated the air as he leaped against the wall, pushed off and did the same thing on the other wall. Alighting on the roof he crouched low and saw a group of wolves with shields and swords cornering several villagers. He drew his blade as the others joined him on the roof. He pointed to Ren and made a circular motion with his hand.

Ren nodded and silently stalked from rooftop to rooftop moving into a flanking position. Lu did a similar motion with Tigress and Viper and they moved in the other direction.

Once everyone was in position Lu stood tall and let out a blood-curdling howl. The night seemed to stand still as his cry pierced the cool air and sent shivers down the spines of almost everyone who could hear it. Lu looked down at the group of soldiers and ,with a snarl, leaped off the roof decapitating one wolf before he even hit the ground. The others raised their shields and moved towards him but Ren struck from behind taking two more with fast and fatal nerve strikes.

As Ren and Lu fought, Tigress and Viper snuck behind the soldiers and attacked from their last blind spot. Viper dashed back and forth evading blows and using her fangs as much as her style, Tigress on the other hand faced her enemies directly and systematically smashed or removed their shields then slashed at their throats. The soldiers were caught by surprise and were dispatched in a matter of moments.

Lu looked around and saw that no one was hurt. He then went to the villagers that had been cornered and asked "is everyone ok?"

One goose stepped up and said "yes we are fine but there are other people who need help"

Lu nodded and said "take the alleys and get to the forest, head north to get to the valley of peace"

The group shuffled off and Lu turned to say "everybody scatter out, fight the soldiers back towards the edge of town and give the villagers time to get away"

The others nodded and ran off in different directions leaving Lu standing in the middle of a pile of corpses.

* * *

_The stench of death hung in the air as I brought my blade down on the head of yet another enemy, a lull in the battle allowed me a chance to look around and what I saw nearly made me gag._

_Piles of corpses surrounded me and through them I saw the men who had followed me into battle. Each of them were outnumbered ten to one but they were using the tactics I had taught them well. We had hope._

_Looking at the bodies I remembered something that an old prophet told me once_

'"_you are not of this world, you are something else. Your future is full of the stench of death and blood. Armies will bar your way but with the blaze in your heart you will sweep them aside like so many leaves. The path you walk on is paved with the corpses of your enemies and will end with the death of those you love"_

* * *

Lu was swept out of the flashback when the blade of a spear came down on him. Instinctively he parried the strike and spun lopping off the soldiers arm in the process. He then buried his blade in the rhino's neck and tugged it out as the man fell dead, blood spraying from the arterial wound.

Shaking his head and berating himself for his lack of attention he proceeded down the street cutting down any soldier dumb enough to get in his way.

As he neared the edge of town he heard a scream off to his right. Turning he saw a small house with a door hanging slightly ajar. Silently slipping into the house he proceeded to the back room where the scream had originated and heard several scuffling and laughing noises. Then another scream and a dull thud.

Lu cracked open the door and saw several men holding down a panther girl and trying to take advantage of her.

Lu's blood boiled and his eye instantly sprang into an inferno.

He kicked open the door and flung his katana at one of the soldiers, the force of the throw burying it in the mans chest up to the hilt. As he fell Lu dashed at the closest enemy and punched with enough force that his fist slammed through the soldier's armor and buried itself in his chest crushing his sternum in the process.

The armor cut Lu's hand as he pulled it from the corpse but he took no note of it. He only saw the last two soldiers, one with a dagger held backwards in his hand and the other with a sword at the girls's throat. The one with the dagger ,a leopard, struck at Lu but Lu caught his wrist, spun ,and drove the leopard's own dagger into his stomach. For good measure Lu jerked the blade up ,spilling the soldiers intestines.

As the last soldier raised his blade to kill the child Lu dashed forward and caught the soldiers arm. He twisted it until it snapped and the blade fell from the soldiers hand. Lu kicked out the soldiers leg , wrapped his arm around his head ,and snapped his neck allowing the body to fall to the floor.

Lu dropped to one knee ,claws digging into the wood floor, and tried to calm the hellfire building in his body.

As the ever present flames died down he felt the soft touch of the panther's hand on his shoulder and he looked up.

The girl said "thank you, you saved me"

Lu merely nodded and stood retrieving his katana from the body of the soldier

He turned to leave but the panther grabbed his hand. Looking over where the armor had cut him she took out a cloth and bandaged it. She looked up at Lu and said "my name is Mia, whats yours?"

"Lu" he said "thanks for the bandage" and with that he left the house and proceeded down the street.

* * *

**see it was too short. i posted this like at midnight so please dont be mad at me. with college and the ranches to attend to my hands are pretty much full. the fact that i have been updating as much as i have is little short of a miracle. anyways please review! pretty please?**


	14. what we must

**i know short chapter, curse me and all that good stuff. but i spent a lot of time trying to figure out how the last part of this chapter fit into the story. anyways i hereby dedicate the last part of this chapter to FalconMage because he has faithfully reviewed every chappy since he started reading it.**

* * *

As Lu, Ren, Viper, and Tigress all pushed the enemy towards the edge of town they found that said enemy became more and more numerous.

As Lu defeated another batch he leaped onto a low roof and scanned the village. Realizing that there were too many enemies he leaped from rooftop to rooftop searching for the others. Surprisingly, they were all grouped together in a small clearing trying to fend off two dozen soldiers at once.

Lu looked around for something that he could use to his advantage but there was nothing in sight. He glanced down at the heavy wooden beams that comprised the roof he was standing on and then looked back at the others.

Fear swelled in his chest as he realized what he had to do, but at the same time he felt an overwhelming desire to save the ones he cared for. 'we all do what we must,' he thought 'and I'm no different'.

He decided quickly ,knowing that time was of the essence, and sheathed his blade. Turning his back to the battle he closed his eyes and focused with all his might upon the seething flames hidden deep within his subconscious feeding his anger and fear and feeling the writhing flames grow with it. With all his might he fanned the flames and they grew to an inferno spreading throughout his entire being.

When he opened his eyes they glowed like the embers of the burning buildings near him. Heightened senses let him know exactly what was going on around him as he bent over and grasped one of the wooden beams. The hellfire that he held in his body increased his strength as he pulled on the beam, the wood splintering in his hands under the strain.

He pulled harder and harder still until with a resounding crack! A plank of wood 8 feet long came off the roof. He turned, hefted the plank over his head, and flung it with all his might at the soldiers below, it smashed into a group of 8 soldiers killing several and incapacitating the rest.

Lu leaped off the building and drew his sword, slashing a nearby soldier across the chest and proceeding into the fray.

Ren had attained a spear from one of the soldiers and spun it in a wide arc slashing a pig in the space between his helm and chest plate.

Tigress and Viper were back to back trying to fend off several soldiers at once. Seeing this Lu crouched low and prepared to strike with the same technique he used on Deringe only 3 days ago.

It was a simple technique, the user simply has to channel all of his energy into speeding up his vital organs. Adrenalin fuels the muscles while accelerated heart beats keep a good supply of oxygen going through the blood stream. As long as every part of the body accelerates at the same time then the user can be as fast as he wants to. The trick is to retain enough energy to slow the process or else the users heart would overreact and seize up effectively killing him.

However at the moment Lu had no worries about lack of energy. The hellfire coursing through him would provide far more than enough of that. The space around him seemed to slow down in response to the backwash of energy emanating from him as he focused his sights on the group of enemies.

And then he struck.

To anyone else it would have seemed as if the group of soldiers had simply sprouted fatal wounds and fell dead.

Lu came to rest next to Tigress, but as he fought down the hellfire once again his vision began to fade.

Tigress caught him as he fell and asked "Lu, what's wrong?"

"Run," Lu gasped, fighting to remain conscious "there will be more… you have to run"

And then he blacked out.

* * *

**60 miles away, a convict safe house**

There was very little light in the small underground tavern. The low ceiling and musty odor added to the effect that anyone who wasn't evil or a convict didn't belong there.

There were several patrons there including two cougars talking amongst themselves

"hey did ya hear about that new army that showed up recently" one said

"yea," the other replied "no one knows exactly where they came from or what they want"

"I heard that they're taking over all of china"

"that must mean they're going for the valley of peace"

At this a lone figure sitting in a corner perked up.

"heh, those assholes that call themselves the furious five are in for a big one now"

"I wonder if either of you would be kind enough to explain all you know about this army to me" neither cougar had noticed as the figure stepped into the dull light ,silvery spotted fur glistening in the light.

both thugs gasped and one stuttered out "T-Ta-Tai Lung"

* * *

**told ya it was short. i hate myself! need more discipline. anyways, FalconMage i told ya he is one of my favorites you didnt really think i would get rid of him just like that did you? review please! _see i said please so you have to review._**


	15. resting?

**please be kind? ive been REALLY busy and couldnt update for a while. i actually fell asleep at my computer trying to type this, no joke. woke up and there were about 5000 pages of the letter h. anyways at least i got something

* * *

**_Flames…_

_Flames were everywhere as I stood and looked around. All around me I saw thousands of people. They continued as if the flames did nothing to them as they made their way towards some unseen destination._

_Upon closer inspection I saw that their faces were twisted in pain and concentration. They hunched over as if a boulder rested on each of their backs as they trudged on. I looked in the direction of their travel and loped off in the same alongside them._

_Strange… I felt lighter… as if the flames were feeding me power. 'Heh, well I guess it was only a matter of time'._

_As I bounded across the infinite expanse of flaming wasteland I realized something._

_I had never been here before._

_This was no memory, I actually felt the flames licking at my body and the earth beneath my feet._

_Suddenly there was an enormous mountain towering before me. The stream of people led up to the base of it and slowly began to climb up. Scattered all throughout the mountain were creatures of every shape and size that would attack the people trying so desperately to get to the top._

_Instantly I realized where I was… purgatory._

_I thought back to the days before I journeyed out to see the world, back to my days of study with my Master. Those autumn days would often find me in the library studying whatever I could find._

_Karag Nor._

_The demon-god of death and rebirth who resides in purgatory. Once again I looked at the people shuffling past me. 'So they all died with sins and regrets, and they spend eternity here searching for forgiveness while being punished for their sins'._

_I shook my head. Sounds like home to me._

_I lifted my arm and stood straight, feeling no weight burden me. 'At least I'm not dead'. I looked up at the creatures who fought tirelessly. 'Wish I had my katana though'._

"what are we going to do?" Viper asked.

They were in a small forest clearing as far from the now burned village as they could get. Unfortunately Lu was still unconscious, Ren having carried him the entire way.

"we need to wake him up" Tigress said as she dabbed his forehead with a cloth dampened in a nearby stream.

"why," Ren asked "we're not in any immediate danger and he needs his rest".

Tigress looked up at Ren "what do you mean? I thought his power was limitless".

"his power is but his body isn't," Ren sat cross-legged next to Lu's unconscious form. "hellfire is an infinite expanse of energy that resides in his soul, but it needs a catalyst to have an effect on this world".

"of course," Viper said "without something to pull it into our world it would be useless".

"exactly" Ren said "and like any catalyst Lu's body wears down with use. As long as he has time to recover he's fine but recently he's been using hellfire too much, and too often".

_I flew up the mountain. For the most part the creatures ignored me and the few that did bother me didn't last long._

_I was near the top now, I could see a bright red light just over the peak and I was sure that whatever I was there for was right behind it. But just as I was about to reach the top I found myself engulfed in flames._

_I saw the muscular form of a great wolf, fur as dark as night with streaks of shimmering red streamlining his body. His eyes, glowing orbs of dark flames, pierced through my body and I heard in a deep rumbling voice "I have found you"._

_Then my body jerked, everything around me began to turn dark and the dark wolf, Karag Nor, faded from my vision._

Ren and Tigress were walking through the forest looking for any wild herbs that could help Lu when he awoke when Ren said "Tigress, I need to talk to you"

Tigress stopped and asked "about what?".

"Well," Ren said "its about your relationship with Lu"

Tigress instantly raised her claws up to Ren's throat and said "be careful what you say".

**ooh is that a cliffhanger? well tell me what ya think. im braced for comments about chapter length.**


	16. capture!

**it seems that my chapter lengths go short shorter and shortest. ah well, at least im updating.

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**Ren brushed Tigresses paw away casually and said "what I'm about to say is for your own good. What's more, it will probably save you a lot of pain".

Tigress stared at him for a moment and then gestured for him to continue.

"well," Ren said "I didn't know Lu when he lost Kyra but I did meet him soon after. After hearing his story I remember thinking how weird it was that he had just lost so much and didn't show any signs of grieving. At first I dismissed it and for a while everything was fine, but then we came across another tigress. She was going the same direction as us and traveled with us for a couple of days. During that time Lu kept to himself and didn't say a word to either of us. When the tigress, Rika I think her name was, tried to talk to him he would shrug her off and disappear for hours on end. On the last day that she was with us he told her about Kyra. Naturally she was sympathetic and when she put her hand on his shoulder," Ren paused "well lets just say that she was lucky to get that hand back. He started to lose control and took off on his own. After that I didn't see him for a year; eventually we met up again but after that it became evident that any female tiger had a similar effect on him. He got better at masking it but the pain is always there."

Tigress took this information in and then asked "if he has such a problem with tigers then why did he say that he loved me?"

"well," Ren said "that's something that your going to have to ask Lu."

Suddenly the object of their conversation stepped through the brush and said "maybe someday I'll tell you but right now we need to get moving."

"what?" Ren asked.

"while I was K. I wound up in the spirit plane and found out that the demon god Karag Nor is looking for me."

"well that's not good" Ren replied.

"it doesn't matter who is after us," Tigress said "you still need to rest"

"I'll have plenty of time to rest when I'm dead," Lu answered "and unless we get moving that wont be too far in the future."

At that moment Viper slid into the clearing and said in a forced whisper "soldiers are coming. We need to get out of here."

Suddenly no less than thirty two fully armed and armored soldiers forced their way past trees and around bushes surrounding the four warriors. The soldiers leveled their spears at Lu and the others.

"Too late" Lu said.

The leader of the soldiers, a relatively young jackal, grinned wickedly and said in a cool voice "kill the men. Take the women."

In a flash Lu's blade was out and three soldiers fell dead. "RUN" he shouted to the others and twirled felling two more enemies.

He spared a glance at the others and said "take care of them Ren, Tigress you and Viper stay with Ren and find your Master."

He ducked a spear and countered with a thrust slipping the point of his blade under the chest plate and piercing the chain mail. "NOW GO!!"

Tigress took a battle stance and prepared to fend off some of the enemies but Ren grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the battle.

"What are you doing?!" she demanded "he needs our help!"

"look lady when he says run you better run" Ren replied pulling her along as they ran, Viper trailing behind them.

'thank you Ren,' Lu thought as he battled against the soldiers. He leaped back and glanced around 'twenty six against one, well, I've had worse'.

The jackal's grin had turned into a scowl and he said "take him alive!"

Lu wasn't sure where the spear haft came from but it hit him in the back of the head and caused him to lurch forward driving a spear tip into his shoulder. He pulled it from his body and tried to raise his blade only to be slammed upside the head with a shield. His last thoughts as he slipped from consciousness were 'I hope Ren got them away.'

**as usual sorry for the chapter length, or lack thereof, but college is a bi-yotch and she loves to screw me. 'ahem' apologies to any young minds who take offense to the previous statement. anywho please R&R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	17. the prisoners vow

**im sorry ****im sorry ****im sorry ****im sorry ****im sorry ****im sorryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!**

**i know its been so long since ive updated but i have so much crap going through my life right now!!! but know this! i was not, am not, nor shall i ever be considering abandoning this story! if it takes me a hundred years i shall see this through. and hopefully updates will speed up drastically. anyway i know its wayy to short but this chapter is a testament to my will to continue this story.**

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Lu drifted in and out of consciences several times during the day but he was too foggy to make out what was going on around him. He heard many foot steps and every once in a while could glimpse bits of the landscape, but he would always fall back into his subconscious before long.

When he finally did awake he found himself in a tent, tied to a pole with his arms bound behind him. The hole that the spear tip caused in his shoulder was still there and untreated causing him severe discomfort. He looked down and saw that he was only wearing his pants and glanced around the room looking for his shirt and katana.

"My this is a beautiful blade," the jackal commander stepped from the shadows holding Lu's katana "I think I'll keep it"

"Get your filthy paws off of it" Lu snarled at him.

The jackal's grin came back as he swaggered over to Lu and slammed the pommel of the blade into his face.

Lu shook his head vigorously trying to entice his vision to come back and heard the jackal say "you cost me six good men," a sharp pain lanced up Lu's side "I'm gonna make you suffer". Lu didn't respond, all he did was feel the rough barbs of a wire brush against his fur before they began tearing into his skin.

* * *

Thick brush was pushed aside as Tigress forced her way along the narrow path. She moved at a fast pace with Viper trailing behind her and Ren trying not to lose his face to the whipping branches that Tigress let fly.

"Tigress," Ren said as he ducked another "will you wait a minute!?"

"NO," she snarled back, turning to face him "we could have helped him and you just let him get taken! And you call yourself his friend-"SMACK!! Tigress recoiled from his slap and staggered back several steps.

She looked up at him in surprise and anger. Ren steadied his breath and said "he stood by me when no one else would. And now he's giving us a chance to end this war before it starts."

"what are you talking about," she asked "how can him being captured help us?"

"think about it," Ren replied "he said for you to find your Master, if you can regroup then we have a solid chance to take out the bulk of their main forces. The only problem is finding those forces. Now, if Lu is captured that means that he'll probably be taken back to the enemy base of operations."

Tigress thought about what he said and realized that he was right "but it doesn't change the fact that Lu has been captured. What if they torture him?"

"oh, they will most certainly torture him"

"and your okay with this!?"

"of course not, which is why I'm gonna help you find your Master so we can end this as soon as possible"

Tigress's shoulders sagged and she said "alright, there's an emergency flare system in every major town. If we set off one of those then Master Shifu and the rest will come to us."

"Right," Ren said "you lead then."

Tigress nodded and started walking away.

Viper slithered up to Ren and said "please, try to take it easy on her. This is the first time she's opened up to anyone."

Ren nodded "I understand, but that's why she needs someone to keep her mind clear and focused. In the meantime we should trust that Lu will be able to withstand whatever they throw at him."

Viper gave him a half-smile and said "you really care for him don't you".

Ren nodded "he's the brother I never had".

* * *

Lu grunted as he was slammed into the wall of his new holding cell. Three days had passed since his capture and it now appeared as if they had finally reached their destination. A rather large fortress that was built into a cliff face provided a very good base of operation. Rough stone buildings were hewn from the rock, and a wooden wall ensured that it remained secure.

The guard slammed the door of his cell closed and walked off towards what looked like the barracks. Lu looked around and found that the holding cells were tucked away behind several buildings. There were a dozen dark cells full of prisoners ranging from old men to children. He suddenly felt a hand touch his shoulder and he spun to face a small ocelot boy.

"hey don't I know you?" Lu asked.

"yes sir," the ocelot replied "you gave me a sack of cowry on the street the other day remember?"

Lu inhaled as he thought back to when he gave the money to the child and said "yes I remember you."

"he's my brother," Mia, the young panther, stepped from the shadows and mustered up a small smile for Lu "I really appreciate what you did for us but the soldiers took away the money when they caught us."

Lu gritted his teeth and clenched his fist vowing to do whatever it would take to save the siblings and all the other people that were captured with them. "right," he said "tell me all about this base."

"why" Mia asked.

"so we can plan our escape."

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**well there it is. things are gonna start happening pretty fast so fasten your seatbelts and hang on to your cowry. oh and please review because it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and that inspires me to write faster.**


	18. deadly whisp

**Hiya guys! I know I know long time no update, but im trying! i know this aint much but i dont really have a lot of time to dedicate for this. anyways i hope you enjoy this tidbit and will try (emphasis on try) to update more often.

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"Are you crazy!?" Mia exclaimed in a forced whisper.

"Do you want to die in here?" Lu asked.

"No but if we try to escape then we'll die out there"

"We wont," Lu responded "if memory serves only one village was attacked at a time right?"

"Yes that's true" Mia said.

Lu nodded "That means that they only have a small strike force to work with, if we take our their leaders they may break forces and run."

"What would you define as 'small'?"

"Anywhere from 10 to 12 hundred men"

"Your insane!"

"Be quiet!" Lu hissed, glancing around. When he saw that the guards were playing some sort of game on the other end of the prison yard he breathed a sigh of relief. He stood and walked up to the bars looking out and surveying the area.

As he stepped into the light Mia saw several patches of fur that were torn and gone, blistered flesh exposed underneath "Oh my god," she gasped "what did they do to you?"

"Relax," Lu said "I've had worse. So what do you know about this place?"

"Nothing much," Mia replied "they took us straight to these cells and didn't let us look around. You really should let me look at those injuries."

"Hmm… then I guess I get to do this the fun way."

"And what would the fun way be?"

"Well," Lu said "it comprises of three steps. Get out, get my katana, and kill everyone that's not in a cell."

Mia stared at him blankly "That's not funny"

"I was serious"

"Your insane"

Lu sighed "I'm going to rest for a while, lemme know if anything happens."

* * *

"Wait," Ren said "I think I hear something over the ridge."

Viper slipped up to the ridge and peered over. After a few moments she came back and said "There's an enemy encampment hiding between the hills. They're ready for battle and the towns only a few hundred meters from us."

"Dammit," Tigress exclaimed "how many of them are there?"

"About 50" Viper replied.

"We can't fight that"

"Maybe not," Ren said "but if I can get you an opening do you think that you could get to the beacon?"

"Sure" Tigress said.

"Good" Ren replied as he stood up "get going." And with that he took off running screaming "THE BLUE BANANNAS ARE BACK!!!!!!!!!" at the top of his voice.

Naturally several of the soldiers began chasing after him, allowing Tigress and Viper to slip by unnoticed.

Once they made it into the town they ran full out to the main hall where they were greeted by several guards at the front door.

"State your name and business" one guard said.

Tigress stood up straight and bowed planting her fist into the palm of her other hand "My name is Master Tigress of the valley of peace, and this is my fellow student Master Viper also of the valley of peace. We come to inform you that this village is in immediate danger, and would like to speak with the elder as soon as possible."

The guard nodded and said "I have heard of you Master Tigress, allow me a moment to inform the elder that you are here" and with that he slipped into the hall.

Several moments passed and then the guard reappeared. He opened the door and said "The elder will see you now."

Tigress walked past and into the building with Viper in tow. Pillars were spaced along the stone walls and reached up towards the high arched ceiling. Several chandeliers decorated the rafters, and the sunlight filtered in through the tall windows.

As the duo approached the end of the hall they saw a rather wizened old fox enter from a side passage and move to greet them.

"Master Tigress, Master Viper, it is an honor to have the two of you here." he said in a wispy voice.

The two kung fu masters bowed in respect to the elder simultaneously saying "Elder."

"Alas," the elder said "from what good Bael has told me your visit has come at a time of great trial for us."

"Please elder," Tigress said "summon the defenses of the town and allow us to use the flare system. I fear that there is a greater force than what attacks us now, and one of our own is now held captive."

Viper, who had remained silent so far, looked up in wonder at Tigress for having said the Lu was a part of their own ranks. 'Tigress doesn't usually act like this,' she thought 'is Lu's capture really affecting her that much?'

"Fear not good Master," the elder said "I already informed Bael to prepare the forces. As for the flares…..," the elder thought for a moment "they are at your disposal"

Tigress released a breath that she didn't know she was holding and said "Thank you elder, once we have all of the five here there shouldn't be any problem fending off these strange forces."

"I certainly hope so," replied the elder "this mysterious crusade has caused our country far too much trouble already"

* * *

The armored solders stood in a clearing facing all sides as the tensed waiting for the next attack.

"He's a devil I tell you!!" one sputtered as his spear shook, blood covering his hands from the fallen comrade nearby.

"Be quiet fool," another one growled out as he thought he heard something in the bushes off to his right.

"This was supposed to be easy," yet another said "just grab the fool that nearly blew our cover. What is he? How did he kill Rai without any of us seeing?!"

"LOOK OUT!!!"

Too late the lemur looked up to see a blurred figure come down on him, fist striking with unimaginable speed before the poor creature fell dead.

The others didn't have time to react as the figure moved so fast from to the other not coming to rest until the entire force was dead. The figure looked around before walking away, bushy tail flicking to and fro.

**Well there ya have it! please review! it makes meh feel all warm and fuzzy inside.**


	19. KaragNor

**Hiya guys! I know I'm unforgivable, and I probably lost all my readers too. But I made a promise that I would finish this fic and by golly I will! Even if no one reads it....

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Hands rudely shook Lu awake and yanked him up to a sitting position "come on! On your feet!" the guard snarled.

Lu stood up and allowed himself to be dragged out of the cell which another guard swiftly closed. They each took one of his arms and pulled him away from the holding cells.

Lu said nothing as he was taken through the night to a small courtyard that was ringed with dozens of guards holding torches. He was taken to the center of the courtyard and felt his legs collapse as one of his 'escortees' kicked them out from under him.

Now on his knees, his hands were roughly yanked behind him and bound together. One of the guards punched him in the stomach and then backed away with the other.

"well that felt unnecessary" Lu grunted as he tried to stand up.

"not at all"

Lu looked up to see the very same jackal commander that had tortured him earlier that day. His eyes strayed towards the commander's back where he wore Lu's katana like a trophy.

When he noticed this the jackal only smiled, the light from the torches making it all the more sinister. "my name is Zhao-lou," he said "and before we are done you will learn to fear it."

Lu stood upright and said "tell you what, give me my katana back and turn us loose. You do that and I'll give you a chance to fear mine."

This was followed by a string of laughter from all the surrounding guards.

"Well," Zhao said "looks like we're going to need to teach you some manners!" from behind his back Zhao pulled a long whip and circled it over his head before bringing it down on Lu's shoulder with a loud CRACK!

Several of the other guards also pulled whips and went to work on Lu. For several long, agonizing minutes he suffered their assault until Zhao signaled them to stop. Lu fell to one knee, feeling the welts starting to surface under his fur and trying to calm his racing heart.

"that is only the beginning," Zhao said "however we may be lenient towards you if you cooperate."

Lu pushed himself to his feet again and asked "why are you marching on the valley? What have they ever done to you?"

Zhao's smile increased and he said "it is the will of Karag Nor! The great god of destruction!" he gestured around himself "this hold is full of his followers! We are his are his hand, and I am his blade!"

Lu chuckled to himself and said "you think Karag Nor would choose a lowly jackal as his advocate? Your nothing but a fool chasing a shadow."

Zhao's face became a scowl and he raised his whip twirling it once before cracking it across Lu's face.

Lu was sent reeling to the ground. He once again staggered to his feet and glared at Zhao, blood trickling down his face as his eyes glowed a dangerous red.

Zhao looked surprised for a moment and then regained his grin as he said "not so cocky now are we? Now, tell us everything you know about the defenses of the valley of peace.

"And just what would your great god want with the valley?" Lu asked.

Zhao simply grinned and said "this crusade is in our god's best interest, even if he doesn't know it yet".

Fury filled Lu as he realized that Zhao truly enjoyed what he was doing, not only the torture but war in general. Pure seething rage coursed throughought his body and quickly became an inferno as he embraced the most ethereal of flames. Lu tugged at his bonds and they snapped like string as he started towards Zhao.

The ring of guards rushed him all at once hoping to recapture him, but he moved with lightning speed as he weaved through them punching and slashing until they all lay motionless. His face, now twisted in a feral snarl snapped up towards Zhao and he leaped towards the jackal.

However, Zhao was ready and brought his leg up to slam into Lu's side with power that belied his body.

Lu twisted in the air and landed nimbly on his feet a few yards away. But, a searing pain suddenly coursed through his body as a rumbling voice resonated through his head.

"The time for you to awaken is at hand," it said "succumb to the darkness and allow yourself to be freed". And with that Lu slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

"_Awaken"_

…………_._

"_Stand up"_

_I grunted as I hefted my sore body off of the ground and looked around._

_I was standing on some sort of round stone platform that fell into an abyss on all sides, but the real eye catcher was the fact that there was fire everywhere….. Even on the roof._

_Scratch that….._

_The roof is fire……._

_Wow…… _

_Who pissed off the interior decorator?_

_I lowered my gaze to the only other thing on the platform, a throne of stone with none other than…_

"_Karag-Nor" I said._

_There he sat with one leg thrown over the arm of the throne, his head propped up by his arm. His dark fur glistening in contrast to the glowing streaks of red along his arms and legs._

_He wore greaves that reached up to his thighs where a fauld hung from his waist. He had pauldrons on his shoulders and a great sword was propped against the throne. Unsurprisingly, the armor and weapon all sported a black and red color scheme._

_His flaming eyes were dull and bored, and his face was fixed in a grim scowl as he slightly turned his head away to start muttering under his breath._

_He did this for a full 5 minutes before I got annoyed._

_I mean honestly! He brought me here!_

_I was content with kicking Zhao's sorry ass back to wherever he came from, but no all big and mighty here had to knock me the crap out and drag me to the living room from hell!_

_Actually this probably is hell…. Ah well._

_I waited for another minute before I got fed up and said "hey I know your busy and all, but I think you were supposed torture me into submission or some boring crap like that"._

_His eyes snapped back into focus and he looked at me._

_Ok, maybe it wasn't a good idea to bother him._

_His face went from grim to….. Joyful?_

"_Welcome home!" he said with boisterous laughter as he stood up from the throne, walked over and slapped me on the back._

_THE MONKEY!?!? HES SUPPOSED TO BE KILLING ME! NOT ACTING ALL CHUMMY!! WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE!!! THIS GUY MUST BE HUFFING TOO MUCH BRIMSTONE!!_

"_umm……. what?"_

_Ok so I didn't say what I was thinking but come on! I wasn't gonna let him hear me talking about him like that! He's a friggin god!_

"_do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you my dear boy?" he asked._

"_uh, haven't the faintest" I replied._

_He shook my shoulder "I've been searching for you since the day you were born!"_

_Now here's the one I was dreading "why were you looking for me?"_

_I though he was gonna say something like 'it was time for me to pay' or 'you shall be my slave'. you know typical evil god stuff._

_But what he said next gave me the biggest shock of my life._

"_why shouldn't I be looking for my son?"_


End file.
